[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses":3,"chapter-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-412":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Knight Who Eternally Regresses",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},427976,689,"Chapter 410","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-412",412,"\u003Cp>Dehan Molsen—that was the Count’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since childhood, Dehan had been exceptionally gifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have a talent for sensing mana.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your swordsmanship is impressive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your intellect is sharp enough to work as an administrator in the capital.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exceptional talent, a family that supported him, and outstanding mentors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was how Dehan grew up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lacked nothing. His world revolved around magic, his father, his mother—almost nothing ever went against his will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To a prodigy, the world was a simple place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His twenties passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thirties followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He killed two uncles who coveted the family headship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not with magic, but with a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even a particularly impressive feat, but his father marveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are truly remarkable, my son.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, Dehan realized how effortless it was to take a life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He inherited the title sometime in his mid-thirties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father began to look at him with a tinge of fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Dehan started involving himself in the affairs of the house, his father began making poor decisions—things that could have been avoided with a little thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dehan corrected them from the shadows and confronted his father openly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, he let hints of contempt slip into his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, his father had been proud. But his eyes gradually changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Dehan finally refuted one of his father’s decisions head-on—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he knew he was right—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s for the dignity of the nobility!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flimsy excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pathetic lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he supposed to pretend otherwise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dehan refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s disgraceful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spoken without emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father relinquished control of the house after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother had never been an affectionate woman to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was how Dehan became the head of the family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few years later, his parents fell into crippling debt due to the schemes of a neighboring lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother gambled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father drowned [N O V E L I G H T] himself in drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A true noble might have been forgiven for such things, but the neighboring lord was merciless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove Dehan’s father to the edge of a cliff—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his father hanged himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother followed soon after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was I too indifferent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no rule that one had to love their parents simply because they were parents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, didn’t revenge seem appropriate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he took it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a year was all it took.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forgive me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The neighboring lord knelt before him, but Dehan beheaded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no satisfaction in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the moment the House of Molsen, once an ordinary noble house, began to expand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And three years later, Dehan noticed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People were gathering around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His actions had caused his house’s military strength and influence to grow at an unprecedented rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so a question arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should I remain confined here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the question appeared, so did the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no reason to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chick must break free of its shell to fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dehan decided to expand his world. To step beyond the shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the moment ambition was born.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything in life had been easy, so why wouldn’t this be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a series of effortless steps—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until he found someone standing in his way, beyond the tide of ten thousand wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid responded indifferently, as if answering the unspoken question of how? His arm trembled, but it could still move. That was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count let out a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes scanned the ones standing behind Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian warrior leaned his axe against his shoulder, watching silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swordsman with dull eyes, holding a broken blade, casually brushed blood from his hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large soldier beside them smiled softly as he adjusted his twisted forearm, setting the bone back into place with that same gentle expression, seemingly unbothered by the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lastly, there was the assassin who had attempted to kill him before he summoned the wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man gripped a short stiletto in his right hand, his stance wordlessly asking—Are you ready to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count raised a hand to his chin and took another long look around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were not the ones he had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If everything had gone wrong, if he were to die, he had assumed it would be surrounded by three knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, in turn, would spell the end of Naurilia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was completely unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His momentary surprise quickly gave way to exhaustion—no, to absurdity. He couldn't help but laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count let out a chuckle and then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isn't it only natural that the most capable should rise to the highest position?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a question of why they stood in his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why I came.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count had the sudden urge to seize that man's tongue and stretch it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard always spoke so damn briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How far could he pull his tongue before it snapped? He was genuinely curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. Words won’t solve this anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count extended his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the air, black soot gathered, taking the form of a bird before shooting forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it takes long to describe, in reality, the crow materialized and attacked the moment the Count raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Esther been here, she would have recognized the spell as Sharlenere's Life-Draining Crow, a form of necromantic summoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none present knew the name of the spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the black bird rushed toward Enkrid, a dagger flew through the air and struck it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crow exploded mid-flight, shattering the dagger into three pieces that scattered in different directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An artifact?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No lunatic enchanter would waste such a spell on a mere throwing knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be an insane level of extravagance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a scroll, wrapped around the dagger and thrown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unorthodox technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had thrown it was, of course, Bell. Several similar daggers were already in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The throne is mine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, the Count remained resolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they had broken through his wraiths, there was no reason for him to go down without a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he continuously summoned Sharlenere's Life-Draining Crow, he began casting another spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the air, crimson masses formed, coalescing into sentient, floating swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved of their own will, targeting Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure resembling a bear stepped forward to intercept them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A pitiful soul that cannot even return to the Lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He murmured as his hands and feet moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite his massive frame, his movements were swift, knocking the crimson blades out of the air. They shattered mid-flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These bastards…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count reverted some of his wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of the wraith-soldiers hunting the battlefield's warriors collapsed into piles of dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like fading mist, they dispersed into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rise, Wraith General!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He condensed his dispersed wraiths, combining them into a single form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Count stood a hulking shadow wielding a massive black greatsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was even larger than Audin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who stepped forward to face it was Ragna.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, he had dragged himself forward, his steps sluggish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lifting his head, he raised his broken sword and swung without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the wraith general could react, Ragna’s blade slashed through its throat, split its chest, and severed its waist in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid nearly marveled at the sheer skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three slashes in a single breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each one had been in a different direction, yet they appeared as a single seamless movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if he had erased the act of recovery between swings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By preemptively calculating his strikes, he minimized unnecessary motion—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high horizontal slash, immediately followed by a downward vertical strike, finished with a mid-level horizontal cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every motion imbued with the Will of Severance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked as if he had painted strokes with his sword, but it had been so fast, so precise, that there had been no room to counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Enkrid doubted he could have blocked that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna took two steps back—then collapsed into a seated position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah. A moment to catch my breath.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke casually, as if he had meant to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count nearly gaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was that man?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wraith general capable of devouring lesser knights in an instant had just been… cut down in a single move?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the Count’s eyes, it had seemed like only one strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange sense of unease crept into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anxious, uncertain, he forced himself to ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still more cards to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count bit down on his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His molars sliced through the flesh, filling his mouth with the coppery taste of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red streaks dribbled from his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled his left hand to his chest, catching the blood before it fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come forth, my Guardian of Blood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lump of blood in his palm wriggled, growing rapidly in size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mere moments, the blood expanded to the size of a person, sprouting limbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the form had taken shape, it needed a soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To fuel it, the Count reverted even more of his battlefield wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield became quieter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More soldiers who had been on the brink of death barely managed to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the soldiers possessed by wraiths snapped back to their senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count, desperate, was pouring everything into this final confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the creature stood fully formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Blood Golem—its body entirely crimson, with only two vacant eye sockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even here, you’re playing with strange magic? Judging by your tricks, you must've been meddling with the Undying Lunatic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words came from the barbarian warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the Count laid eyes on him, the man was already reaching into his coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count, watching from behind his golem, saw what he pulled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was easy to guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barbarian swung it overhead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loaded a spherical bullet, beginning to spin it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had started winding it the moment the golem had begun forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whirling sound of the sling filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Whiiiiiing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem used the last totem orb he had taken from the Undying Lunatic as a sling bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't expected to use it as ammunition, but this was the perfect moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound that ripped through the air made everyone’s spine crawl—friend and foe alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blood Golem's gaze was drawn toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A construct born of sorcery, the golem brought its hands together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was preparing to release a torrent of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem’s arm moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whiiiiiing—whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noise above his head stopped for a single breath, replaced by another sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blood Golem’s head erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, a golem wouldn't be affected by mere physical impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this bullet was anything but ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the crystallization of over a decade’s worth of accumulated sorcery from the Undying Lunatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That magic detonated, consuming both the golem’s life force and its own energy in a violent explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why it had perished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count clutched his chest with his left hand, driving his staff into the ground with his right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of loss and emptiness flooded him, nearly stopping his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt the golem's death. The sudden void left him with an oppressive, sinking despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The construct had been bound to his own blood and heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should not have been destroyed so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You bastards!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count roared in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem, having expended his last enchanted tool, felt his entire body weaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I about to die like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, surely not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his body had lost all its strength, enough to make him wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The backlash from using someone else’s sorcery had finally caught up with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem wavered, stumbling backward before collapsing onto his rear with a solid thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, he landed right next to Ragna.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem glanced at him and muttered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guess it’s my turn to watch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna gave a slow nod. Their eyes met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither had the energy to insult the other, and this wasn’t the time for bickering anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, they seemed to be in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin, meanwhile, could not afford to simply watch. The flying crimson swords were too dangerous to leave alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Blood Golem, they might have seemed insignificant, but in reality, they were anything but.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were magical constructs, the kind one might only see in demonic realms—manifestations of pure sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was undeniable proof of the Count's immense power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no choice but to endure the pain of the forbidden seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forgive me, Father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin drew upon his divinity, not to radiate light, but to fortify his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My left hand is a sacred blade, my right hand is iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he used his bare hands, the swords would be like steel and stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that he had infused his hands with divine energy, they were a holy blade and unyielding iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the crimson swords came slashing toward him, Audin raised his left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment it touched the sacred blade, the crimson sword shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed up with a strike from his right hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bent and crushed blade lost its force and spun into the dirt, embedding itself deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wraith trapped inside lost its power and faded, turning to dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, Audin crushed the flying swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain from breaking the forbidden seal spread through his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, he couldn’t move at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin’s limbs trembled violently. His entire body stiffened like a felled tree, leaving him frozen in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Rem clicked his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why the hell is that guy still standing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna glanced at Audin and furrowed his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is annoying. That priest should have collapsed too\u003C\u002Fp>",2320,"2026-05-30T08:27:55.568Z","2026-06-01T04:30:45.896Z",1,"novelbin.me","b3d3b44ac04d974a65c226b020f6d32162e24d6e7b9297d494ec692449d34e3e","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-413","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-411",882,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-knight-who-eternally-regresses-cover.jpg"]